Cupcake or Heroin? There's no difference.

This Washington Post article just popped up on one of the news sites today... a new study just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition implies that:

"... the quick spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar that comes after eating highly processed carbs activates reward and addiction centers in the brain."“Refined carbohydrates seem to be able to provoke food cravings many hours after consumption, at least in susceptible people.” I am obviously a "susceptible" person and like other types of addicts, I can't have any of this substance. Just like an alcoholic can't have a drink in moderation, I can't have sugar in moderation. I have finally come to terms with that after gaining a lot of weight back. But the benefits of good health far outweigh the taste.I continue to pass up many chances to eat bread, muffins, cupcakes, etc., on a daily basis. It isn't hard to do once it's out of my system. I just can't even fathom eating sugar again...

But the government says we should eat grains

My very intelligent daughter told me I must eat some grains because they are in the USDA food pyramid - now a food "plate." While it's inconvenient to give up grains (how do you make a sandwich?), I know I'm not losing valuable nutrition or anything good by giving them up.

Dr Mercola recently had a great post entitled :

How Turning the Food Pyramid on Its Head Can Help You “Slim Down Without Trying” link

I asked my daughter to read it so she could understand why I made this choice. I didn't watch the Peter Jennings video but the summary article is excellent!

So as I think about if and when I will let wheat/grains back in my diet, I was excited to find some "no wheat" healthy recipes on this blog. I am going to test this one and report back.  

1 month without sugar and wheat - lost 20lbs

I weighed myself this morning and lost exactly 20lbs since I went sugar free and wheat free on May 28. Except for croutons on my salad and a few times eating chicken with breadcrumbs I've had no wheat or grains.

I almost feel I should have lost more given everything I gave up. I don't have any cravings for sugar but I know (because of what happened last fall) that if I start eating lots of bread and bagels it could be a slippery slope back to sugar. I need at least another month.

So what am I eating? Isagenix shakes (the IsaPro with more protein), lots of salads and vegetables, some fruit (not too much) and IsaDelights (thank goodness for them)!

Sugar free, wheat free 16 days...

I started eating sugar-free, wheat-free* on May 28 so it's been 16 days. The Isagenix shakes are perfect for this. I am not going to weigh myself until it's been one month so I am about half-way there. I really can't tell how much I've lost but I can almost run up the stairs without holding the railing whereas before I had to hold the railing and slowly walk up.

It seems extreme to totally eliminate sugar and wheat but they are only contributing to ill-health and have not one ounce of anything positive to offer me.

Over the 16 days these foods have been placed in front of me...
apple cider donuts (a favorite)
  birthday cake
    ice cream
      chips
         homemade bread
          pasta
            bagels
              fresh baked cookies
to name a few.

I didn't eat any of these because I knew that one bite would lead to another. It was pretty easy to physically resist all this, even when it's in my own kitchen, because the cravings disappear within a few days. But I still know I love these foods and it's hard... hard to beat an addiction like this when it's everywhere.

*The only wheat I had was croutons on my salad a few times and my lifesavers are the IsaDelight dark chocolate squares (as much sugar as 1/4  of an apple). They are the ONLY dark chocolate that I can eat -- one small square satisfies me. More info about these amazing chocolates.

Wheat Belly??

I know I am addicted to sugar and that I need to have total abstinence (like an alcoholic or other drug addiction). But I also know that wheat (flour) is a cousin to sugar (quickly turning to sugar in the body) and that bagels, tortilla chips, cereal and other carbs without sugar are also causing me to binge.

So in an effort to finally get back on track - for good! - I decided to adopt the major premise of the Wheat Belly Diet (which is, of course, right on track with Isagenix).

I saw the Dr Oz show on Friday, May 24 and the author, Dr Davis, tested women's blood to show how a piece of whole wheat bread can cause blood sugar to spike more than a candy bar.

Dr Davis explained how we have been conditioned to believe that whole wheat products are healthy but that's like saying filtered cigarettes are healthy (yes, when compared to non-filtered). I stopped trying to force my family to eat whole wheat pasta a while ago for this reason (if you're going to eat unhealthy you may as well enjoy it).

How can I give up wheat? It's easier knowing that it's bad for me because it's grown using pesticides. Countries including Japan and South Korea won't import US commercial wheat because it's contaminated and genetically engineered. Link to full article.

So since Tues. May 28, when I started eating healthier, I've been able to almost totally cut out wheat (only had some croutons in my salad and some breadcrumbs on my chicken cutlet). No sugar either - by Friday it was pretty easy to ignore the giant chocolate chip cookie that came with my Panera box lunch salad. I have a long way to go but I already feel much better physically and do not go to bed at night with self loathing over my food choices :)

Andy Cohen Cleanse

I LOVE Bravo TV - watch all the housewives shows and just about every other reality show on there (Rachael Zoe, Brad, Flipping Out, Matchmaker, the real estate shows and Watch

Keep drinking that water Andy!

What Happens). Don't judge. I watch while I work on my laptop at night (my second job) doing websites, advertising and marketing for an Inn and Winery.

So Andy apparently is doing some kind of two week cleanse. He didn't say which one but I hope it's Isagenix - it's indisputably the best so hopefully he did his research and made the right choice! I know Gweneth Paltrow has some products. I have not done the research on them but she is well versed in health and wellness so I assume they're good. BUT, the ingredients that John Anderson has put in the Isa products are really unsurpassed!!

As for me, until I again completely give up the sugar that I am addicted to I won't be able to lose my 100lbs. It's one of the hardest things to give up because it's everywhere. My day job is particularly difficult because people bring in junk food all the time. No excuses though.

It is great to hear people talking about cleansing. When I started a few years ago it wasn't as prevalent. Our bodies cleanse naturally but doing the Isagenix nutritional cleansing is a great way to intensify the cleanse process without starving the body. I am going to do a two-day cleanse next week.

I have not done well since last Sept.... I let the enemy back in -- sugar -- and have no chance when that happens. I used to work at home and had more control over what was in my house. Now working in an office I find donuts and cookies that people bring in to share.

It's like making an alcoholic work in a bar. I have to make hundreds of right decisions a month. Today a colleague litterally dropped some homemade cookies on my desk. I didn't have one. We have Girl Scout Thin Mints at home. I didn't have any.

There are some people who can have one cookie and some (including me) who know that one cookie will lead to 10 cookies.

My new goal is Sept. 10 to lose the 100 pounds - six months is aggressive but I know people whov'e done it!

Having a goal and declaring it is the first step...